YouTuber Niki DeMar’s New Single Honors Creativity In Isolation

Today viral YouTube star Niki DeMar released her second single, “Bite of Me.”

Photo by Joey James Salehi

Social media has long been linked to the music industry, and with the rise of platforms like Instagram and TikTok, the boundary between both spaces is continuing to narrow. It comes as no surprise then that viral YouTube star Niki DeMar today is releasing her second single, “Bite of Me.”

DeMar’s first single, “Alone In My Car,” dropped in August and since has totaled more than 2.2 million streams across platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and SoundCloud. Both singles reflect the singer’s soul searching done while in self-quarantine during the pandemic, proving that, for some indie recording artists, tough times are bringing about newfound perspective and creativity.

The Los Angeles Times recently highlighted a Nielsen finding that half of this year’s 20 most-streamed singles, including Drake’s “Toosie Slide,” Doja Cat’s “Say So” and Trevor Daniel’s “Falling,” became hits in part to the fact that they first went viral on TikTok. DeMar’s popularity on YouTube is having a similar effect.

“Every single person I talked to said that the pandemic came at the perfect time in their lives, every single person said that they needed a pause, and I relate to that wholeheartedly,” DeMar says. “At the end of the day, things take time, and more reflection came out of that. I don’t think that I could be in this headspace now without the way that everything played out.”

While DeMar started writing “Bite Of Me” before the pandemic began, she says that, like many singers, she decided to put the song on hold since her mindset had changed in quarantine. Instead she was inspired to release “Alone In My Car” as a reflection of the sense of freedom and clarity that she was discovering while taking drives alone in her car during the pandemic. Free of the distractions of everyday life, the artist says that driving brought her solace and allowed her to have deep conversations with herself and reflect on what she truly wanted in life. 

Now DeMar says that she finally felt ready to release “Bite Of Me,” which features darker lyrics about her realizing the need to prioritize herself in life and change her people-pleasing mindset. Compared to her twin sister Gabi DeMartino, the vocalist explains that she was often labeled “the depressed twin” focused on fixing everyone else’s problems in life.

“I wasn’t able to tell my full story, and now in my music I have the freedom to speak my mind,” DeMar says. “I was in a cycle trying to be the glue that holds everything together, and I lost and neglected myself. Maybe this is the moment I take my time and really focus on how I want to fly my wings, and what I want to do once the pandemic is over.” 

The twins released their debut single, “First,” in January of 2017 (more than 2.8 million streams on Spotify) and continue to star on their Niki and Gabi YouTube channel that attracts 9.6 million subscribers. With 3.8 million followers on Instagram and 2.4 million subscribers to her personal Niki DeMar YouTube channel, the performer says that she is determined to grow her solo singing career while continuing to work with her sister. 

While her sister is best known for her talent as an entertainer, DeMar says that she is more business-minded and interested in the algorithms, editing and technology. She began her career as a video editor and says that she “accidentally” made herself famous by placing herself in her own videos. 

Now DeMar spends her days flipping between YouTube and music projects, which she says can be somewhat challenging. As one of 2016’s Women’s Wear Daily top 10 beauty influencers, she also stepped into the fashion industry with her own jewelry line last year.   

“I live like a double life, but I love what I do, and I’m excited for people to really understand Niki DeMar the artist,” DeMar says. “I really believe that (Gabi and I) can be successful together and apart…if Kendall and Kylie (Jenner) can do it, we can do it.”